


Quidditch House Cup 1990

by White_Noise



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Quidditch, Good Slytherins, Hufflepuff Pride, Just a bit of house musing using a beloved sport, Not really any characters, Slight character injuries, hufflepuff quidditch team - freeform, slytherin quidditch team - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-12
Updated: 2015-10-12
Packaged: 2018-04-26 01:06:42
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,294
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4983955
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/White_Noise/pseuds/White_Noise
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The final Hogwarts Quidditch match of 1990 would go down as one of the strangest matches ever played at the school.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Quidditch House Cup 1990

**Author's Note:**

> Just a bit of musing. Not really set in any time (except before Harry was at school) and an attempt to break certain stereotypes regarding Houses. Please enjoy.

After a long fought battle, it is finally here. The Hogwarts Quidditch Finale 1990. The four houses had been battling for a whole year, each player putting in their very best to be the winning team. And finally, it is time. Hufflepuff and Slytherin are the two dominant houses, battling to prove their worth for the last time. The game is set, the Chasers battle for possession of the Quaffle, the Keepers standing guard at their posts. Around them, the Beaters fly, knocking back the fast flying Bludgers. Around their teams fly the two fast paced Seekers, searching for the Snitch and victory for their team. 

Suddenly, the Hufflepuff Seeker spots something out of the corner of her eye. A flash of gold below her. Careful not to draw attention, she flies low to the ground.   
There, another flash. Confident now, she picks up speed, flying low to the ground. She is meters away from victory. 

Suddenly, out of nowhere a Bludger appears, flying full speed towards here. There is no way to avoid the impact. The force of the hit shatters her collarbone and throws her off balance, sending her the last few meters to the ground. The crash is sickening, the Seeker knocked unconscious and bleeding badly.

At his post above, the Slytherin Keeper freezes, his eyes fixed on the yellow figure on the ground. Without thought of the game or his team’s sudden advantage, he leaves his post, flying to the ground and leaping from his broom, running to the fallen player. 

In the stadium, the excited crowds fall silent. 

The Chasers, distracted by the sudden silence, look around, only to notice the yellow and green figures on the ground. The Hufflepuff players look around uncertainly. Their Seeker is down, but so is the other teams Keeper. But the Slytherins don’t hesitate. With no thought of the game, all the remaining members of the team abandon their posts.  
The Slytherin Chasers fly to the ground, determined to help out in any way they can. The Beaters too, fly low although they do not dismount. There have been too many cases of Bludgers going after players who are off their brooms and they will not allow anyone to be harmed. 

The Slytherin Seeker, on the other hand, flies higher. But it is not the Snitch he is after, as he flies from the stadium and towards the castle, but medical assistance.   
The Hufflepuff team, seeing their rival’s behaviour, are quick to follow, the yellow Beaters joining forces with their Green counterparts to protect the vulnerable players as the Chasers and Keeper land to help their fallen friend. 

The injured Seeker is starting to wake up. They cannot imagine what pain she must be in, blood still trickling down her face from the cut to her head, her yellow robes now an almost Gryffindor Red. The Slytherin Keeper is carefully moving her, trying to make her comfortable while not causing her more pain. One of the Hufflepuff Chasers takes her hand in his, trying to silently offer her support as another Slytherin starts asking a series of questions, trying to figure out how bad the damage is.

The Hufflepuff Keeper grabs the edge of his robes, ripping a large piece of fabric from the battered uniform before passing it to his Slytherin counterpart, who immediately takes it, trying to stem the blood already soaking the pitch. 

The stadium is quiet, only the distant shouts of teachers trying to make their way down from their seats to the ground and the occasional heavy thud of wood as one of the four Beaters knocks back a Bludger, breaking the silence. 

The referee, Madam Hootch, flies towards the grounded players, her whistle at her lips but no noise is produced. She jumps from her broom, attempting to push the players out of her way to access the injured Seeker but none of them move. 

Another shout is heard in the dim silence of the stadium. It is the Slytherin Seeker, returned from the castle. A stretcher is strapped to his broom. Madam Pomfrey appears moments later. The players scatter, surrounding the Slytherin Seeker to help untie and assemble the stretcher as the Slytherin Keeper and Hufflepuff Chaser continue to comfort the fallen player. Madam Pomfrey joins the group, asking a few questions to the injured player.

She then nods to the remaining players. She has seen enough. The Hufflepuff Seeker will need to be taken to the Hospital Wing. The players once again surround their fallen friend. Working as a team, they carefully life her off the ground and onto the now assembled stretcher. 

Madam Pomfrey pulls out her wand, ready to enchant the stretcher to carry the Seeker away but the Hufflepuff Keeper shakes his head. Without any exchange of words, the players surround the stretcher, four of them grabbing the handles. A muttered order is exchanged and as a group, they lift it up. 

Slowly, carefully they mauver the stretcher, beginning the long trek back to the castle. 

Madame Hootch blows her whistle, trying to gain the players attention. A time out has not been called. Players are not allowed to leave the stadium unless they wish to forfeit the game. Two of the players, the Team Captains hang back as the rest of the team, ignoring the referee’s instructions, leave the stadium, the four Beaters guarding them from above. 

Madam Hootch approaches the two remaining players, reminding them that players cannot abandon the game without conceding victory. The two Captains look at each other, then turn to the irritated teacher. Without prompting, the Hufflepuff Captain steps towards the intimidating woman. On behalf of his team, he forfeits the game. The Slytherin Captain immediately follows the Hufflepuffs lead.

Without another word spoken, they both turn and leave the grounds.

In the stadium, all is quiet. A few Gryffindor and Ravenclaw students who had decided to attend the match rather than stay in their common rooms and await the scheduled trip to Hogsmead, hold their breath, waiting for a riot from the rest of the students attending the match. 

To their surprise, there is no riot. Quietly, orderly, the members of both houses rise from their seats and begin their decent down the stairs. 

It is not until the next morning that the Seeker truly wakes. She is bruised and battered. Her broken bones and cuts already healed but the pain lingers. At her bedside, there are multiple flowers and notes from well-wishers. At least half of them are from Slytherins.

A few days later, it is up to Dumbledore to award the Quidditch cup. As both teams forfeited at the same time, he has decided to call the match a tie. In front of the whole school, he invites the two teams up to collect the trophy.

The Headmaster holds out the cup to the two captains. But neither takes it. Instead, the Slytherin captain gestures the Hufflepuff Seeker forward to receive the cup on behalf of both teams. An honour which she proudly takes, smiling as the Great Hall explodes with applause. 

There is a lesson to be learnt here, from the actions of these two teams. 

It is that, despite our recognised differences, we are all people. We all care. Slytherins are cunning, not evil. And Hufflepuffs are loyal, not cowards. 

When the final battle comes, it would pay to remember this moment, when the Slytherins helped another, without thinking of the profit for themselves, when the Hufflepuffs made an unpopular decision and faced down anyone who tried to stop them. This is the moment these two houses broke their stereotypes for the care of one. It is a moment we need to remember. Because everyone else seems to want to forget.


End file.
